


Here I Stand

by JournalOfTheDead



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: AU, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Aasim, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Buckle up, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Delta Louis, F/F, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Minor Character Death, Panic Attacks, Pansexual Character, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Torture, Scars, Sophie is alive, This will be a wild ride, Torture, Trans Aasim, Trans Male Character, Violence, pansexual louis, the twins were never traded
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2020-07-31 17:16:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20118706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JournalOfTheDead/pseuds/JournalOfTheDead
Summary: Louis found himself bitter when it came to Marlon, he thought they were friends, family, even.  It's been one year since Louis has seen the school, home. It's been one year since he was traded to the Delta. Though Louis didn't let them break him, he fought his way to freedom, he didn't make it out unscathed. The memories and scars still linger, the nightmares still haunt him.Now he's home and Louis will do everything in his power to make sure Lilly doesn't hurt the family he has left.





	1. Chapter One

_ “Focus. Don’t slow down now.”  _

Those words echoed in his head as he ran, rain beating down onto him harshly making him shiver slightly. Halting his pace he scans his surroundings looking for some sort of shelter. A soft swear leaves his lips, with a shake of his head, he continues to run, pushing his legs faster. The grip on his crossbow tightens, his bag, heavy with supplies slapped against his back making him grimace.

"Come on, Louis. Keep moving." He mutters to himself, looking up when lightning danced across the sky a loud rumbling following soon after it. Rolling his eyes, Louis kept on running a sigh leaving of relief left his lips when his gaze fell onto a small shack thirty feet from him. 

_ Finally _

Rushing over, Louis hurriedly throws the door open and rushes inside. With a rather loud huff, he sets his crossbow down and slides his bag off, opening it and shuffling through the supplies.  _ Where is it? Are you fucking kidding me? I know I packed it! _ Louis thought with a grimace. When leaving, that place he packed rather quickly and was shocked that he didn't end up littered full of bullet holes. 

_ Louis was one of the lucky ones.  _

A soft sigh leaves his lips when his fingers grazed against the cool metal of the flashlight.  _ Thank god. _ He thought bitterly and removed it from his bag, switching it on and shining it around the shack. Crates were scattered around the room along with some empty sacks.  _ Might be something useful in the crates. _ Louis thought, standing up slowly, moving over to the first crate and lifting the lid.  _ Empty. _

Shutting the lid, Louis pursed his lips and went from crate to crate.  _ All were empty… _ Rolling his eyes, Louis steps back over to his bag and pulled out his sleeping bag and places it out on the floor. Getting some rest was the best alternative. He couldn't travel with it pouring outside, a part of him was impatient to get home, though he needed to have patience.

A grimace tugs at his lips as he lays back against the sleeping bag. The thought of home brought back years of good memories and one bad one. The feeling of betrayal filled his gut, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the ceiling. Louis trusted him, but he knew where his loyalties lie now and he used to feel so stupid, all he felt now was pain and vengeance. 

_ “What the fuck!” Louis shouted as he was grabbed roughly by the arms, his eyes widening in absolute horror. “Marlon what the fuck?!” He spat, trying to break free from the vice grip the men had on his arms, disbelief crossing his features as a woman steps up to Marlon.  _

_ The woman pursed her lips, eyeing Marlon before glancing at Louis. “This is the one?” She questions, walking over to Louis, her eyes narrowing as she looked him up and down, a sneer twisting onto her lips. The woman roughly grasps his chin, making him look her in the eyes, many emotions were in her cruel brown eyes, but the doubt was clear as day. _

_ “Not what I envisioned for a soldier…” She pursed her lips, roughly moving her hand away. Louis gritted his teeth and glanced at Marlon, he wasn’t doing this was he? With a low growl, Louis tried to break free, his glare landing on Marlon, though it didn’t hold much ferocity.  _

_ “I thought we were family! How could you fucking do this?” Louis spat, fires igniting in his brown eyes. Marlon looked away briefly, regret crossing his features, Louis shook his head. This wasn’t happening. The grip on his arms tightened, making him flinch slightly, Louis turned his head quickly and bit down on the man's hand, making the man yelp and jerk his hand away.  _

_ “Why you little shit!” The man seethed, looking over toward the woman for approval, getting a brief nod from her the man lifted his hand. A pained groan leaves Louis’s lips when the man’s hand connected to his cheek harshly. The woman chuckled, making Louis look over at her, a scowl on his lips.  _

_ “We’ll take it from here Marlon.” She states, a grin making its way onto her lips as she drags Louis up by the collar of his coat. Marlon stood there for a moment and Louis thought he was going to help him, but soon betrayal filled his heart as Marlon span around on his heel and took off into the woods.  _

_ “You bastard!” Louis cried, frantically trying to break off the soldiers hold as they forced him into a cage. “I fucking trusted you!” Louis kicked at one of the soldiers, watching as Marlon’s blonde hair faded into the distance. “Get back here, coward!” He bellowed, his voice cracking from the raw emotion. The woman smirked, forcing him back into the cage, she looked almost feral in Louis’s eyes.  _

_ “We’ll make a good soldier out of you.” She told him, slamming the cage door shut, his eyes narrowed as he gazed at the spot Marlon once stood. The betrayal was fresh in his mind, Marlon was supposed to be his best friend, his brother. Why did he do this to him? After everything, they’ve been through? Guess Marlon showed his true colors. Louis couldn't bring himself to care as the woman, Lilly, introduced herself. His fists clenched as he leans back against the bars, one thing was for sure, Louis wasn’t going down without a fight…  _

_ Louis wasn't becoming anyone's puppet. _

Louis rubbed at his temples roughly as he let out an agitated breath, he shouldn’t be thinking about this right now. Louis found himself bitter when it came to Marlon, the betrayal remained and he finds himself wanting Marlon to suffer for what he did.  _ No, this isn’t who I am. I’m not one of them anymore.  _ Louis thought, he wasn’t one of Lilly’s pawns anymore, he wasn’t a part of her game anymore.

Eventually, the sounds of the beating rain soothe him, his eyes start to feel heavy and Louis tries to keep them open, not wanting to see violent images and years of pain again. All he wanted was a dreamless sleep, that was just a pipe dream these days. A soft sigh leaves his lips as he finds himself drifting off, fatigue taking over him.

~~~~~~~~~~

The brisk autumn air nipped at his skin as he trudged through the woods, a sense of familiarity hit him. Louis knew exactly where he was at, the train station was nearby, just a mile down the trail. Weighing his options for a moment, Louis decided to head down the trail, some extra supplies wouldn’t hurt. As Louis heads down the trail, nostalgia hits him at full force, the sense of familiarity is welcoming and Louis feels right at home.

_ “Aasim come on!” The sixteen-year-old groaned, nonchalantly swinging Chairles around. Louis was a bit restless, he wanted to get this supply run over with before the storm hit. The clouds were slowly starting to darken, making the taller teen frown as the odds might be against them during this supply run.  _

_ "Don't you have patience?" Aasim calls to him, walking over his bow in hand. Louis smirks, resting Chairles on his shoulder, his smirk never wavering as Aasim rolled his eyes. He was so cute when he was annoyed.  _

_ "Patience? Me? Having patience?" Louis gasps, placing a hand over his heart. "Having patience is never fun." He teases, gently bumping Aasim’s shoulder, hoping to get a smile out of him. His wish came true when Aasim cracked a small smile, Louis loved when he smiled like that. _

_ "Come on." Aasim rolls his eyes. "Let's get going before we get caught in this storm." He grumbled, stepping past him. Louis snickers softly, watching him walk ahead a bit, he loved his attitude the most, it's what made Aasim so distinct from the others. A part of Louis wanted to run up and take Aasim’s hand, though he didn’t want to scare Aasim off. With a heavy sigh, Louis hurries ahead, falling into step beside him.  _

_ The two walked in complete silence for a few minutes, the sound of distant rumbling reached their ears. Neither did anything, the breeze felt nice and the sounds of the distant thunder soothed them, the worries of getting caught in the storm faded. Louis glanced over at Aasim, a smirk tugs at his lips and he lightly bumps his shoulder against Aasim’s. A small laugh leaves Aasim’s lips, and he bumps his shoulder back.  _

_ “Come on, Lou. Stop fucking around.” Aasim rolled his eyes playfully, though there was an apparent smile on his lips. Louis loved when he was paired off with Aasim to go on supply runs. They got to be themselves around each other, always making sure each other was happy. Louis lets out a dramatic sigh, slinging his arm around Aasim’s shoulders, a shit-eating grin on his lips.  _

_ “Fine… But only for you, Sim.” He chuckles, not moving his arm away. Aasim rolled his eyes again, proceeding down the trail, a smile on his lips. Louis felt triumph bubble up in his chest, the long-lasting smile on Aasim’s face was a small achievement for Louis. Though he wasn’t going to mention that to Aasim or anyone else, it was his little secret.  _

Louis shook his head slowly, rolling his eyes fondly at his ignorance. He should’ve confessed that day. Maybe he would get his opportunity soon when he arrived home, that’s if his home was still there. Forcing the thought away, Louis snapped his gaze up the train station was up ahead. The station looked worn, some of the train cars were almost falling over nature was slowly taking over the place. It looked peaceful in Louis’ opinion, a place he would go to be alone and think.

Glancing around his surroundings, Louis notices a sign;  ** _FRIENDLY? RING BELL (NO TRESPASSING) _ ** was scratched onto the wood. Louis rolled his eyes, unstrapping his hunting knife from his arm, he has seen this method before and he wasn’t going to ring this bell. Moving away from the sign, Louis makes his way down the pathway, keeping an eye out for walkers. The station looked deserted, no signs of life, though, looks can be deceiving, Louis learned that the hard way from his time at the Delta, the place he didn’t want to think about anymore. Though the memories of that hell were still fresh in his mind, haunting him at every turn, he would never be the same. 

Louis lets out a breath, noticing a tire swing hanging on a branch, a small smile tugged at his lips as he strolled over, gently stroking his finger over the dirty tire. This brought back old memories from his childhood, every time he would go see his grandparents during the summer, they would have the swing waiting for him. With a sad smile, Louis lightly pushes the swing, watching it sway for a bit. A low groan snaps him out of his thoughts the hairs rising on the back of his neck in alarm. Slowly, Louis turns around, spotting a walker leaning against some tin barrels, narrowing his eyes, he slowly approaches the walker hoping it didn’t spot him. 

Soft curses slipped from his lips when the walker started to groan loudly and stumble to its feet.  _ Shit. _ It must've caught his scent. With a rather loud huff, Louis quickly kicks the rotting fodder in the knee and sinks his blade into its skull, watching as it went limp and fell to the ground with a soft thud. He grimaced and cleans his knife off with the cloth he kept in his back pocket of his cargo pants, moving past the walker he drops the dirty cloth and checks around the perimeter of the building before going up the steps and approaching the fading red door. 

Getting inside the station was easy, Louis was lucky to have a lock pick in his bag. Closing the door, Louis glances around the room, it smelt musty and dust kicked up around the room.  _ Probably hasn’t been any action in here for a while. _ Louis thought, walking over to an old table and glancing at the aging papers piled up onto the table, along with some train tickets. This place held its own history, years of memories and reminders of what life used to be like. 

With a grimace, he looks up when low groans reach his ears, near the window, were two chairs with walkers tied to them. Shaking his head Louis approached the two walkers and studied, it was a man and a woman. On the floor near to the chair was an empty bottle, with furrowed brows Louis kneels down and picks up the bottle, examining it. Poison.  _ Poor bastards took the easy way out.  _ He thought and sets the bottle down, standing up, he studies the two walkers again, there was a key in one of their pockets, casting his gaze to the ticket booth door, Louis put two and two together. 

“Well at least I won’t have to use my lock pick again,” Louis uttered, unstrapping his knife from his arm again. With a tilt of his head, he looks at the two walkers again, he couldn’t bring himself to feel sympathy for them, walkers weren’t people, they were just the shells of what people used to be, nothing human about them. With a shake of his head, Louis moves closer, the walkers growling and snarling, their bony fingers trying to grab a hold of him. Before he could sink his knife into the walker's skulls, the sound of two people speaking outside stopped him, narrowing his eyes, Louis moves towards the boarded-up window and listened in. 

_ “What do we do inside of a new place? _ ” One of the voices questioned, Louis, guessed they were talking to their companion. Slowly he straps his knife back onto his arm and loads his cross brow if they were dangerous, Louis needed to be prepared. Quietly, he listens to the other voice falter at the question, he frowned deeply, was that a child? His suspicions were confirmed when the voice spoke up with the answer to the question. 

_ “We listen for monsters.”  _

Louis’ curiosity spiked, so it was a boy and a girl talking.  _ Must be her brother or kid.  _ Louis thought, though he didn’t know what to expect, though a part of Louis knew that he would never harm a child. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the girl spoke up again as if she was trying to help the kid find the correct answer. Curiously Louis listened in, he was a bit interested, he’s never heard a kid sound so serious before. 

_ “Come on. You remember.”  _ The girl encouraged the boy, it was silent for a moment and Louis wondered if the kid even remembered. Louis couldn’t let these people distract him or prevent him from getting home, Louis wasn’t going to let anyone stand in his way. Not again. 

_ “Inside a new place, we find a new place out.”  _ The two voices spoke together, with a roll of his eyes, Louis stands up when the door opened slowly. He could hear the girl tell the kid in a hushed harsh whisper to be on the lookout.  _ Smart girl. _ With a small breath, Louis moved away from the window and aimed his crossbow at the back of the girls head. 

“Turn around slowly,” Louis demands, a startled gasp leaves the girls lips before she turned around slowly. Tentatively, Louis advances closer, his eyes widening a bit when he cast his gaze onto the child. The little boy looked young, younger than Tennessee and Willy. Shaking his head, Louis looks back at the girl who was glaring at him harshly. 

“Well?” She spat, her glare was fierce and her stance was protective. Louis faltered a bit, he couldn’t do this. Not when she had a kid that was so young with her. With an annoyed growl, Louis slowly lowers his crossbow, keeping a watchful eye on the girl. 

“Sorry, bout that.” He murmured, watching as the little boy moved to the girls' side. Louis softened, god, he could’ve killed her and that little boy might have been on his own. Swallowing his guilt, Louis noticed the girl grasping her knife tightly in her hand, her glare never flattering. The girl forced the kid behind her, her golden eyes seemed to follow Louis’ every movement.

“Easy,” Louis states, kneeling down and placing his crossbow and knife on the floor. “Now, you do the same.” He motions to her knife while he stood up slowly, keeping his hands in the air, watching as confliction crossed the girls' features before she grudgingly places her knife on the ground. She was wary, Louis noticed that quickly, he surprisingly admired this about the strange girl.

“Alright, our weapons are down,” The girl crosses her arms, her tone firm. It's clear to Louis that she means business, but her stance doesn’t impress him one bit. Louis tsked and arched a brow, looks like he was introducing himself first.

"My name is Louis," He told her, watching her closely for a reaction, she was quite hard to read at times, but he could tell by her posture that she was wary of him. He couldn't blame her, he did hold his bow up at her, but it was his instincts told him to do. She was a stranger, the only reason he didn't shoot was because of the child that is accompanying her.

The girl bit her lip, flicking the brim of her baseball cap as it fell into her eyes a bit. Hesitantly, she cast her gaze towards the child behind her, her posture relaxing slightly. “I’m Clementine and this is AJ.” She tells him, her tone still firm. Louis nods and drops his arms slowly, Clementine and AJ. Louis wondered how long they survived out there, they looked sleep-deprived and hungry, the girl especially. 

“I won’t hurt you. Especially if you have a kid with you.” Louis told her, kneeling down to pick up their weapons, once his crossbow was strapped onto his back and his knife back into its holder on his arm, he holds her knife out to her. Cautiously, Clementine takes her knife back and slides it back into her back pocket. 

“Clem? Is he lying?” AJ frowned, casting his gaze from Louis and to Clementine. Louis sighed at the question, he didn’t want to startle them, he acted out of pure instinct. Kneeling down, Louis smiles at the boy and slides his bag off his shoulders and digs through it. Pulling out two energy bars he snagged from the Delta. 

“Here.” Louis holds out the two bars to them, “You both need it more than I do. Maybe this can be my apology for almost attacking you?” Louis cracked a small smile, AJ looked conflicted as he looked up at his caregiver. He was hungry, it was clear as day in his eyes, besides, Louis had plenty of food, he could spare some for them. Clementine blinked and took the two bars from him, a questioning look in her eyes. 

“What about you?” She questions, passing one of the energy bars to AJ. Louis chuckled and stood up, slinging his bag back on his shoulders, watching as AJ mumbled a quiet,  _ thank you _ and opened his bar and started eating.  _ Poor kid.  _ Clearing his throat, Louis looks back to Clementine and shrugged. 

“I have more than enough to share, besides, it looks like you two need it more,” Louis tells her, “I don’t like seeing kids go hungry either.” He adds and moves away from her, back towards the walkers. Clementine followed him, her footsteps making the floor creek with her weight. 

“Wait,” Clementine calls. Louis stopped walking and turned towards her, she looked conflicted for a moment, he wondered what was on her mind and if she was about to throw the bar in his face. “I… Thank you. We…Uh, appreciate it.” She said giving him an awkward smile. 

Louis returned it and crossed his arms, “Don’t mention it.” Weighing in his options, by the looks of them, they didn’t have a home. Maybe he could bring them back home with him? Louis just had to figure out how to ask them if they wanted to tag along without sounding weird. “This might sound far fetched, but if you need a place to stay. I know just the place. I’m heading there myself.” Louis tells her, watching as her awkward smile faded, being replaced with a conflicted frown, she briefly looks at AJ then back to him.

Clementine pursed her lips before nodding slowly, “Let me talk to AJ and I’ll give you our answer.” She tells him before turning on her heel and walking back over to AJ. Louis sighed deeply and glances around the room, waiting for her to come back. Soon enough she walked back over with AJ, the little boy giving Louis a small smile. Clementine clears her throat, snapping his attention back to her. 

Clementine places a hand on her hip and arched her brow, “We will come with you.” She told him, pulling her knife from her pocket and brushing past him, starting to look around the room. Louis nodded slowly, watching as she walked up to the ticket booth door and jiggling the handle, with a shake of his head, Louis dug through his bag. 

“What are you looking for?” AJ asked, peering over Louis’s shoulder and into the full bag. Louis smiled at the little boy before pulling out his lock pick. AJ reminded him of his cousin Derek, always so curious and full of questions. Showing AJ the lock pick, Louis holds back a laugh at the confused look on the child's face. 

“This is what I was looking for, its called a lock pick,” Louis explains, handing the lock pick over to AJ. The kid looked it over before holding it back to Louis, shaking his head Louis gently pushed the lock pick towards AJ. “You keep it, little dude.” He smiled, watching as AJ’s expression lit up. 

“Thank you.” 

Louis nodded and ruffled AJ’s hair before standing up, Clementine gave him a friendly smile and nodded at him before walking over to the two walkers tied to the chairs. Maybe Louis didn’t make a mistake for inviting them to stay at the school when they got there, they seemed like good people and Louis could see himself being friends with her. Right now all Louis wanted was to get home, see the others and  _ Aasim.  _ Confessing to the book worm was something major on his to-do list. 

“You coming or are you just going to stand there?” Clementine calls to him, breaking him out of his deep thoughts. With a roll of his eyes, he noticed her by the now open ticket booth door, her hands on her hips again, a teasing smile on her lips. Scoffing playfully, Louis walks over to her and enters the room, time to search this place and get the hell out of here.

~~~~~~~

There were so many walkers, everything went by quickly after the grenade went off in the office. The explosion, unfortunately, attracted the of every walker in a mile radius. Louis ran outside with Clementine and AJ in tow, walkers were everywhere.  _ Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Not good, not good. _ Louis thought, hurridly unsheathing his knife, it was risky to use his crossbow right now, so his knife would have to do. “We need to clear a path!” He shouts to Clementine, making her scowl at the obvious plan. Quickly, Clementine turns to AJ and bends down so she was eye level with him. 

“You know what to do. Stick to the sides and be my eyes while Louis and I clear a path!” Her tone held no room for arguments, AJ nodded frantically and ran off the side. Clementine looked at Louis, both of them nodding mutually, sharing the exact same thought. 

_ We aren’t dying here.  _

Rushing up to the approaching walker, Louis roughly kicks it down and stomps on the walkers head while stabbing the next one in the eye. He turned around quickly when he heard a gasp off to the side, his worry spiking when he noticed a walker going after AJ. Running over, Louis sinks his blade into the walkers' skull before shoving it away and taking AJ’s hand. 

“Come on to the car!” Clementine yells, rushing ahead a bit. Louis nods and quickly picks up AJ in his arms and sprits to the passenger side of the car. Snatching the door open, Louis pushes the seat back and sets AJ and his stuff inside before getting in himself and closing the door. The sound of shattering glass snapped Louis’s attention over to the driver's seat, a walker broke through was tugging at Clementine’s arm. Grinding his teeth together, Louis quickly leaned over and lodged his blade into its skull. 

Clementine huffed out a small ‘ _ thank you’  _ once the walker let go of her. They didn’t have time for this, quickly, Louis snatched the car keys away and shoves them into the ignition. Though their bad luck didn’t end there, the back windshield shattered, and walkers started reaching for AJ, acting quickly, Louis reached back and pulled AJ upfront with him. 

Suddenly, the car lurched forward, slamming against the tree in front of them. Clementine swore loudly and put the car in reverse, hitting a few walkers in the process. “Clementine!” AJ shouts, making Louis snap his head over, his eyes widening in horror. No way he was letting this girl get bitten, balling his fist up, his fist connected to the side of the walkers head before he shoved his knife up in its jaw and straight into its head. Louis shook his hand off and glanced at Clementine before putting the car in drive. 

“Now get us the hell out of here!” He demands. Clementine nods and starts to drive forward. Another loud groan reached their ears and Clementine yelped as a walker tugged roughly at her arm, making the wheel turn and send them down a steep hill. Acting upon instinct, Louis wrapped his arms around AJ, shielding him from the impact that was about to come.

Louis’ world soon turned dark and hazy, the distinct sounds of the walkers snarling filled him with dread, but he couldn’t move. Muffled voices reached his ears, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying, as he was jerked roughly out of the car, fatigue took over and Louis found himself falling into total darkness. 


	2. Chapter Two

_ “Rockingham!”  _

_ At the call of the city name, Louis darted out of bed, standing straight as Michael, one of Lilly’s guards stepped into the room. Louis remembered him very well, a shiver went down his spine at the thought of his first training session with Michael. Unlike the other soldiers he trained with, Michael was the worst. Not only was Michael harsh, but he was also ruthless when it came down to hand-to-hand combat, Louis knew that his day wasn’t about to go smoothly.  _

_ “Didn’t you hear me?” Michael spat, standing directly in front of him, a sneer on his lips. Louis blinked and straightened up immediately, making Michael scoff and shove him towards the door. Louis' fists balled up, his teeth grinding together, he hated Michael, he always has. Though Louis hated everyone at the Delta, they were all the same, he kept those thoughts to himself, the punishments were severe and just the thought of them sent shivers down his spine.  _

_ “Sorry sir,” Louis muttered, stepping out of the room, staying quiet as Michael led him down unusually quiet halls. His curiosity spiking, he casts a questioning look towards the man, hoping he would get an actual answer to what’s going on. Michael only chuckled and turns down the hall, stopping in front of the door of the training room. Louis narrowed his eyes, challenging the man, hiding a smirk when Michael let out an irritated breath, mumbling soft swears that were hard to hear.  _

_ “Lilly wants to see you in the training room,” Michael informed him, a sadistic smirk tugging at his lips. “You shouldn’t keep her waiting, boy.” Michael narrows his eyes, his smirk never faltering.  _

_ Louis swore softly under his breath. Lilly terrified him, there was something about her that wasn’t quite right and it bothered him, she had this feral nature about her that would strike fear into anyone. With a shaky breath, Louis pushes the door open slowly, his eyes widening in absolute horror. Lilly was standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed and her face void of emotions.  _

_ Standing behind her were two guards, holding a smaller woman by the arms, by the looks of it, the woman was an outsider, her clothes were torn and caked in blood and mud; she was hurt. It made Louis wonder why she was here was not in the infirmary. The urge to help this woman was strong, but Louis knew that would breaking a direct order. _

_ “You know why you're here," Lilly spoke, making him freeze in place. Suddenly it was clear to him why the woman was here, why he was there. Louis felt numb, his ears were ringing and he found it hard to move, swallowing heavily, he approached Lilly. _

_ "I…" His words seemed to fall quiet as something was pressed into his hands. It was Lilly's pistol. Louis twisted the metal gun in his hands, inspecting the object closely, before moving his emotionless eyes up to Lilly. _

_ Lilly stared him down, her cruel brown eyes boring into his and he felt the pressure building up inside him. Louis didn't speak, he felt numb like everything was taken from him in an instant, shaking his head, he looks away from her murderous eyes. His hesitance would only anger them, but Louis didn't care.  _

_ “Spoilt brat.” Michael scoffed from behind him. The insult caused Louis to tense. Louis so desperately wanted to retaliate back to the burly man as he turned around to face him, he so desperately wanted to put up a fight, yet he couldn’t find the strength to speak back. So all he did was stare Michael down. He shook his head, ridding his mind of the words which spat at him, not allowing them to bother him. Then slowly allowed his eyes to drift down to the pistol occupying his hands. _

_ Lilly tutted as she took a small step closer to Louis, her eyes locked onto her soldier behind him. “Stand down, Michael. Let me handle this.” Lilly commanded, the authority instantly recognizable in her voice. Slowly, Louis turned back to look at Lilly, the sneer on her lips made flinch internally. From behind, Louis heard the floorboard creak, an indication that Michael has begun to pace and if he listened closely, Louis swore he could hear softly mumbled curses rolling from Michael’s tongue. _

_ “Do you remember what happens to the outsiders who decide to steal from us?” Lilly asked as she gestures her hand towards the makeshift ‘medical’ room, a look of disgust in her eyes. Louis frowned slightly, shrugging Lilly’s hand from his shoulder. His grip loosened on the gun, allowing it to plummet to the floor. Louis didn’t care if the woman stole from them, he wasn’t about to kill her for it. _

_ “Interesting,” Lilly mumbled to no one in particular. A smirk tugged at her lips, an unknown emotion in her eyes. She cleared her throat as her eyes inspecting her weapon. She lifted a hand, waving it in the direction of Louis and Michael. Louis narrowed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek when Michael roughly handled him, pushing him towards the exit.  _

_ As Michael forced Louis out of the room, the women began to plead for her life. Her head shaking rapidly, warm tears spewing down her face, as the pistol was aimed towards her head. A disappointed sigh slipped past Lilly’s lips as she pulled back the trigger, watching as the woman's body falls limp on the floor. _

_ Michael chuckled sadistically when he felt Louis’ body tense up in his hold. “Eventually you’ll have to take a human life. Otherwise, you’re going to end up losing yours.” Michael advised him. Louis inhaled through his nose, to compose himself. He knew what Michael was trying to do, he was trying to get inside of his head, to break him. Yet Louis wasn’t going to allow that to happen. However, a part of Louis, deep down, agreed to what Michael was saying, it was only a matter of time before he wound up dead. _

_ ~~~~~~~ _

Louis woke up with a heavy groan, his head felt like it was being split into two. Mindlessly, he runs a hand over his face as if he was trying to soothe the pain away, his eyes fluttered closed, the dimly lit room only making his headache worse. A grunt slips past his lips as he slowly forces his eyes open when he sat up, a frown tugged at his lips when he realized that his left hand was taped to the bedpost. Using his free hand, Louis pats down his side, looking for one of his hidden knives in his cargo pants, hopefully, whoever tapped him to the bedpost didn’t find it. 

A sigh of relief escaped his lips once his fingers brushed over the handle of the blade. Wasting no time, Louis cut the tape and quickly stood up, ignoring the slight ache in his wrist from being confined for so long. Louis casts his eyes around the room, his knife clasped tightly in his hand, ready to attack if he was caught by surprise. The room he was in looked vaguely familiar, it filled him with a sense of familiarity. 

A low groan from behind him made him tense up, turning his head, he spots a figure asleep at the desk. Louis squinted at the figure as he shifted his footing slightly, the floorboards creaking under the minor pressure change. The sound caused the sleeping person to groan as they tugged their brown plaid jacket tighter around their body in comfort. Something about the person was oddly familiar, a soft sigh escaped his lips and he slowly makes his way over to the desk, his eyes widening. It was  _ Aasim. _

Hesitantly, Louis moves towards the desk. Kneeling down, he reached out, brushing Aasim's dark locks out of his face, he looked younger while he slept, peaceful even. A soft chuckle slips from his lips, causing Aasim to groan again and his eyes fluttered open. Louis' heart skipped a beat as their eyes met. Aasim let out a shaky breath as he scooted his chair away from him.

Louis swore softly, taking a step back he raised his hands in a calming manner. "Sim. It's okay, it's me." He murmured, his voice shaky from the overwhelming emotions, slowly but hesitantly, Louis takes a step towards him, watching as realization crossed Aasim's features. Hope bubbled up in his chest when Aasim stepped closer.

It took every part of Louis to hold himself back, all he wanted to do was pull Aasim into his arms and never let go. Aasim took another step towards him, slowly reaching out for him. Louis smiled sadly and took Aasim's hand into his own, lacing their fingers together, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of Aasim’s hand, locking eyes with him before pulling him into a hug. After a few minutes, Louis broke away from the hug, gently brushing his fingers over Aasim’s cheek. 

“I didn’t believe it. When the twins brought you into my room after patching you up. I thought I was imagining it all.” Aasim whispered, leaning into his touch slightly, gently resting his cold hand over his. 

Louis smiles weakly and shakes his head, gently moving his hand away. His mind wandered a bit, he wondered how the others reacted to seeing him again, how they reacted to seeing Clementine and AJ - Louis made a note to go and find them, make sure they were okay. He hoped they were okay, but by the looks of it, Clementine and AJ could clearly hold their own.

“I can understand why,” Louis said softly, wincing inwardly as his words sounded strained to his own ears. Aasim nodded and ran a hand through his hair, a troubled look in his eyes. Cautiously, Louis took a step forward, resting his hand gently on his shoulder, frowning when Aasim tensed a bit.

"Marlon told us that you died. That the walkers got to you. I never believed him." Aasim tells him, taking a glance at the door as if he was afraid that Marlon was going to burst it at any time.

Louis pursed his lips and nods slowly, moving his hands off Aasim’s shoulders gently before taking a deep breath in and out slowly. He should've known that Marlon would lie to save his own ass, it was typical of Marlon to be a coward and hideaway form conflicts. 

"Of course he did. Not surprising, " Louis muttered bitterly and crosses his arms, flicking his gaze towards Aasim. He knew Aasim wanted to know what really happened in the woods a year ago, the others would want an explanation as well. 

Aasim silently shook his head, his brows furrowed together in agitation. "What did he do? What happened out there, Louis?"

Louis bit down harshly onto his bottom lip as his nails dug into the flesh of his palm. He could always explain while he planned on finding the others and  _ Marlon _ .

"Walk and talk," Louis griped and opened the door, freezing at the doorway. With a small breath, he turns slightly and offers his hand out to Aasim, he couldn't be passive with him. Nor was he going to push Aasim away, he couldn't do that. 

Aasim smiled weakly and took a hesitant step forward, taking his outstretched hand and lacing their fingers together. Louis gently squeezed his hand before they both left the room. While they walked, Louis thought about how he was going to explain this all to Aasim and the others. 

Part of him wanted to avoid the whole situation, though he knew that it wasn't fair to Aasim or the others.

"Look, " Louis starts, halting their descent down the hall, his gaze shifting the cracking floor. "It's a lot to explain and I want the other to know the truth." Louis didn't mean to sound so stern, he was just frustrated and he hoped Aasim didn't hold it against him. A gentle squeeze to his hand made him look over, relife shooting through him at the look of understanding in Aasim’s eyes. 

"I understand, Louis. But listen to me. Marlon isn't all together. Ever since last year, he's changed. Just be cautious when approaching him." Aasim warned, starting to lead him down the withering halls. Louis shook his head, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. He knew that Marlon would tear himself down slowly, maybe it was the feeling of trading him away that put it into effect. Louis let a disappointed sigh pass through his lips, Marlon was a cowardly broken man. 

When they reached the door Louis froze in his place, his hand falling from Aasim’s limply. Resting his hand on the door, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, trying to conceal the building anger he felt. Louis wanted to throw these doors open and hunt Marlon down, but he didn't want to lose control of himself. The last thing Louis wanted to do was lash out, become something he's not. 

"Can... Can you give me a minute, Sim?" Louis croaked, glancing over to Aasim. He didn't want to end up snapping at Aasim out of pure frustration, Louis didn't think he would forgive himself if he did. A gentle hand on his shoulder relaxed him a bit, with a strained smile he steps away from the door so Aasim could step out.

Once he was gone, Louis blew out and exhausted breath before opening the door and stepping out. A small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Nothing has changed, the torches were lit, filling the courtyard with dim lighting. Louis held the small smile on his lips as he stepped further out onto the porch area. He found himself leaning up against one of the wooden poles, his arms hugged tightly over his chest as he gazed off into his original home. The sounds of the others talking quietly made him feel right at home, and the smell of Omar’s rabbit stew brewing made his mouth water.

“Well, look who’s up.” 

Louis blinked and turned his head slightly, Clementine stood beside him with her arms crossed over her chest. With a sigh he gives her a half-smile and uncrosses his arms, he was relieved that she wasn’t seriously hurt during the crash, with a side glance he noticed AJ sitting at a table with Aasim not far from them. Louis didn’t regret keeping AJ safe during the crash, if he didn’t he would be dead. 

“You’re not dead. That’s good.” Louis teased lightly. Clementine rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, glancing at him then out at the courtyard. Louis wondered what she was thinking about, though he had a suspicion about what was on her mind. 

“You know these people?” Clementine questioned, arching her brow. Louis cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing in suspicion Clementine should've figured this out already, though the others most likely didn't trust her enough to tell her. 

Breathing in deeply, Louis forced a smile and nodded, wondering why such a simple question was bothering him."It's a long story." Louis sighed, casting his gaze to the ground and slipping his hands into his pockets. 

"Let's just say Marlon, the leader did something and I haven't been home in a year." Louis shook his head, biting down on his lip at the mention of last year's events. He didn't say anything else, he cast a glance towards Clementine, studying her. She looked conflicted, her lips pursed and her brows furrowed as she tapped her left foot softly against the concrete. She wanted to know more, it was plain as day, though she would find out soon enough. 

Pursing his lips, Louis shook his head and casts his gaze away, his eyes landing on Aasim. “You’ll find out the rest soon. Also, the others here are trustworthy, they wouldn’t harm you or AJ.” Louis tells her, his gaze still lingering on Aasim, watching him write in his journal while talking to Mitch and Willy. Forcing his gaze away, Louis looks Clementine in the eyes, watching as she shook her head in defeat before masking that emotion quickly. 

“Fine.” Clementine nodded, folding her arms across her chest, “I trust your judgment, but if anything and I mean anything happens to AJ. I’m holding you accountable.” She took a step closer to him, her eyes seemed to harden with every word. Louis smiled at her and nodded once before going rigid as a familiar face came into his sights from the front gates. His breathing became choppy like something was weighing down on how chest, slowly moved down the steps, ignoring the calling of his name from Clementine and Aasim.

Marlon didn't notice him as he approached, the taller male had his back turned, peering out the gates. Louis clenched his teeth and took a breath in then out, desperately trying to calm himself down, though he was slowly losing control. Louis stopped behind Marlon, glaring at the back of his head before jerking Marlon around roughly. 

"Hey!" Marlon exclaimed, roughly shoving Louis back out of pure instinct, "L-Louis! Y-you're back!" Marlon stammered over his words, taking several steps back, his eyes flickering around. 

Louis scoffed at the childish act, his jaw ticked in annoyance as he curled his fists. The slight pain of his nails digging into his palms didn't bother him, all Louis could feel was his fist colliding with Marlon's jaw, making the taller boy stagger back into the metal gates. 

"Louis what the fuck!" Marlon shouts, one hand resting over his bruising jaw while the other held onto the gates tightly. Satisfaction bubbled in Louis' chest, making him smirk and arched a brow at the pathetic boy he used to call family. The urge to strike him again was becoming very appealing. Faintly, Louis could hear the others rushing over, hearing their shouts of protests, he didn’t pay them any mind, making Marlon feel what he felt was the only thing on his mind at the moment. 

Louis lifted his balled fist again, the anger inside of him causing his fist to shake. The shouts of protests from the others gradually got louder, yet, he still didn’t pay any attention to them, until a plea from someone in particular.

"Louis." The plea was soft soothing this time. Slowly, Louis backed away from Marlon and turned slightly, his gaze falling onto the others. Aasim stood in front of the others, panic clear on his face as he looked from Marlon and to him. Louis grimaced and dropped his raised fist, glancing at the others and Aasim.

"Aasim… I…" Louis took a step forward, the words dying on his lips, a dull ringing filled his ears as he watched Mitch pull Asim behind him. 

With narrowed eyes, Louis took a slight step back. Now seemed like a perfect time to clear the air.

"Fine." Louis spat, glancing disgustedly at Marlon before facing the others, giving them his full attention. "You want to know the truth?" 

"Truth? What truth?" Mitch hissed, taking a slight step forward. The action made Louis chuckle slightly, Mitch never changed.

"Well, your so-called leader? Is a liar." Louis tsked, starting to pace, smirking as the others started to whisper to one another. Obviously, some didn't believe in his statement, what a shame.

"What are you on about?" Minerva questioned uncertainty shining in her cold eyes. Behind her, Ruby and Omar murmured in agreement while Violet looked troubled. 

Louis rolled his eyes and barked out a laugh, his left eye twitching in annoyance. "What am I on about?" He repeats her question as another laugh passed through his lips.

"Well, it should be fucking obvious. Marlon lied to all of you! I clearly didn't fucking die last year now did I?" Louis rolled his eyes and threw a glare towards Marlon, watching as he slowly began to crumble.

Silently, Louis watched as Marlon detach his arm from the metal gate, a scoff escaped his lips as Marlon tried grasping his elbow. Louis could see the desperation in his eyes; Marlon didn’t want to be exposed. 

“Shut up.” Marlon spat harshly, his eyes burning into Louis. The blonde boy altered his tone, the action making Louis sick, “I didn’t lie. I saw walkers surround you and I couldn’t get to you.”

“Bullshit.” Louis snarled. "You know damn well that's a lie." His eyes narrowed, his piercing glare making Marlon fidget. Marlon quickly composed himself, panic shining in his blue eyes as he looked for an escape. 

"I-it's not a lie!" Marlon forces out, tugging at his blonde hair, “I wouldn’t lie about this!” Marlon began to pace around frantically, though no one dared to calm him down. Louis wondered if they could see through his act, though he didn't dare to take his gaze off of Marlon. 

"Cut the shit, Marlon." Mitch snapped, coming to stand next to Louis. The action startled Marlon, shock apparent on his face. Louis arched a curious brow, throwing Mitch a look, he thought Mitch was friends with Marlon.

"Mitch." Marlon starts, his voice shaking from the emotions. "You know I wouldn't about something like this. You  _ all _ know that." Marlon's piercing gaze landed on the others, desperately trying to make them believe him. Louis scoffed and glanced at the others, there were many mixed emotions among the group. Though that wasn't going to last long. 

"So your family is expendable?" Aasim called out, his icy glare landing onto the blonde boy, his words cutting through the brief silence. Aasim didn't look happy at all, his fists were curled up, his jaw clenched.

"Come on, Aasim. Lay off of Marlon, Louis could be lying for all we know." Minerva called, the attention being drawn onto her as she took a stand next to Marlon. Louis rolled his eyes, out of everyone here, Minerva takes Marlon’s side. Besides him, Mitch groaned and cocked his head to the side, a smirk on his lips. 

“Why are you defending him, Minnie?” Mitch questions incredulously, stepping a bit closer towards the two, only to be pulled back by Aasim. Louis shook his head and glanced at Aasim and Mitch then the others, he didn’t need their input. Louis tsked and took a step closer to Marlon, watching as Minerva flinched back and moved away from them.  _ Good choice.  _

“You know what I find funny?” Louis arched his brow, his question aimed at Marlon. The boy didn’t reply, he just blinked dumbly, fidgeting every so often. “I find it funny that I was always there for my  _ best friend. _ ” His tone was sharp and to the point, animosity seeping through him in waves. Marlon threw him a shaky glare, his stance faltering a bit before he regained his posture. With a loud bark of laughter and a mocking smile towards Marlon, Louis continued. 

“I was always there for you. I was there for you when you had panic attacks,  _ nightmares.”  _ Louis cocked his head to the side while he said this, he went to continue but Marlon spoke up. 

“Stop!” Marlon tugged harshly at his hair, his body shaking violently. “Just stop! I had to trade you away!” Marlon exclaimed, suddenly looking at everyone, his eyes bloodshot. Louis took a step back, a smirk slowly growing on his lips, he knew a part of him would feel guilty about causing Marlon’s downfall. But at the moment all Louis could feel was sweet satisfaction at his reaction, it's what he wanted after all. 

The murmurs of the others got louder, faintly Louis could hear some of them debating. No one believed Marlon, they all threw him looks full of disgust and betrayal. “You  _ had  _ to?” Violet piped up, moving to lunge at the taller boy, but Louis rushed out and caught her by the arms. 

“Tell us why you piece of shit!” She yelled, her meat cleaver in hand. Louis shook his head and let out a soft sigh, gently taking it from her and passing it back to Aasim to hold for safekeeping. He understood what everyone felt, the betrayal of someone you considered family stung, felt like someone ripped your heart right out of your chest. 

“That’s enough Violet,” Louis spoke up, his tone brittle. “He’s a coward, remember?” He says and looks her over before looking back over at Marlon. The older boy was muttering to himself softly, his nails digging into his palms, faint droplets of blood landing onto the gravel. This was what Marlon hid away from the others, a damaged kid who was bound to break. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Marlon choked out before taking off towards the school, Rosie right on his heels.  _ Good fucking riddance.  _ Louis thought bitterly and glanced at the group, sending a thankful smile towards Mitch and Aasim then Violet. 

Finally, he caught Clementine’s eyes, she was standing in front of AJ, an understanding look in her eyes as she looked at him. Louis sent her a small smile, then winked at AJ before the child was pulled away by Tennessee as a brief silence falls over them.

"Well, now what?" Brody's soft voice called out as they all stared at the place Marlon once stood, the shock of what transpired still hanging over the group. There was a brief silence as everyone just stood there, not knowing what to really say.

"I think we all can agree that Marlon is unfit to be our leader," Aasim spoke up suddenly, the others turning to him, waiting for him to elaborate. Louis had a feeling where he was going with this, by the looks of it, Mitch and Violet knew as well, along with Clementine.

"So you're saying we pick a new leader?" Louis questions, giving Aasim an encouraging smile, telling him to continue.

Aasim wet his dry lips and flashed him a slight smile before nodding. "Yeah. That's exactly what I'm saying." He sounded a bit unsure, though he kept the uncertainty hidden from the others. Clementine stepped forwards, her eyes looking Aasim up and down, though she offered him a comforting smile. 

“I know my vote probably doesn’t have much weight here.” Clementine paused to glance at the group around them before continuing. “How about you be the new leader?” She arched a brow, making Aasim tense up. Louis frowned at his reaction and threw a look towards Mitch who shared the same expression. There was no doubt that Aasim thought he wasn’t the best one suited for this position, Louis wished Aasim could see that he would be an amazing leader. 

“Me? As a leader?” Aasim spoke up, uncertainty shining in his eyes. 

“Yeah, you. Who else?” Clementine furrowed her brows, folding her arms over her chest. Louis sighed and took a step forward, setting his hand on Aasim’s shoulder, biting back a scowl as Mitch did the same thing.  _ Kiss ass.  _ Louis thought with a roll of his eyes before shaking the thought away to offer Aasim some encouragement. 

“You would be an amazing leader Aasim. I know it and so do the others.” Louis says, flicking his gaze towards the others, smiling when they all nodded and murmured in agreement. 

“I hate to agree with him.” Mitch sent a small glare towards Louis. “But I agree. We all know you have the right ideas.” Mitch gives Aasim a small smile, which the boy slowly nodded. 

Violet nodded from besides Sophie and Omar, “Besides, you are smarter than Marlon.” She says, the two teens nodding in agreement besides her. Louis grinned inwardly, maybe this would be enough for Aasim to take the reigns over for the school. 

Aasim shook his head and let out a defeated sigh, “Fine.” He mumbled, looking them in the eye. “But what about Marlon?” He questions. Louis bit down on his lip before clearing his throat, bringing the attention back onto him. 

“Don’t worry about him right now, okay? Someone will inform him.” Louis tells him, as soon as the words left his mouth, Violet was already walking away.  _ Same as always. _ Louis thought with a grin and looked back at Aasim. 

Maybe things would start looking up. 


	3. Chapter Three Part 1

Louis woke up before dawn. The nightmare still fresh on his mind, he could remember every painful detail and the blood-curdling screams still echoed in his head. Waking up every morning before the sun rose, was something Louis grew used to, though it was something he wished he wasn't forced to do. 

Lilly wasn't too keen on slacking off, and she took every opportunity to make sure he got little sleep. She considered it a "punishment" of sorts. It was a part of her sick fantasy that her soldiers were supposed to be strong and alert, and Louis didn't quite understand her logic behind it all. Though he realized that there was no real logic at all, it was all part of her psychotic scheme to hurt people. 

Louis sighed and sat up slowly, running a hand over his face, his fingers brushing over the scar over his lips. His hands started to shake and his breath became raspy. The day he got this scar was the day Lilly played him with one of her schemes. 

\---

_ "Lilly isn’t going to be happy with you, boy." Michael snarled as he led him down the brightly lit halls, his grip on his arm tight and slightly painful. _

_ Louis scoffed inwardly and rolled his eyes. When wasn't Lilly happy with him? He didn't reply to the man, he just simply glanced over and arched a questioning brow. _

_ "Don't give me that," Michael says, his teeth clenched. "You know that you screwed up big time. This is on you." _

_ Louis bit back a hiss of pain as the man tightened his hold on his arm. His lips twisted into a scowl, though he was slightly afraid. Afraid of what Lilly was planning. _

_ Lilly didn't like failure and that's exactly what Louis did today, he failed his 'mission.' In his opinion, he did what was right, he wasn't going to do as ordered, he wasn't going to lose his humanity. He wasn't going to kill an innocent group in the woods, he couldn't. They had a toddler in that group. When Michael's and Dorian's backs were turned, he told them to run. _

_ Though the small group never got far, it was so quick and happened all too fast. Their screams still pierced through his head and the dull ache in his stomach throbbed from the kick he received. The guilt hurt more though, he could have done something to help them. But he failed. Louis failed them and himself. _

_ "Pay attention," Michael uttered, releasing his arm and shoving him forward towards the office door. _

_ Louis quickly caught himself, his knees an inch away from grazing the floors. With a grunt, he stands and straightens his back, he looks at the door with distaste. _

_ "Don't waste any more time, boy. Get in there, _ ** _now._ ** _ " _

_ Louis rolled his eyes and turned his head slightly, his hardened gaze landing on Michael. "Pull the stick out of your ass and stop kidding yourself. Lilly won't raise your rank. Stop the bullshit." He spat, not caring that he was only causing more problems for himself. _

_ Michael seemed to stiffen, anger filling his cruel eyes and his lips pulling back into an ugly snarl. "You want to repeat that?" Michael walked closer, grabbing Louis by the arm roughly, his nails digging into his skin. _

_ Louis hissed at the sting but didn't back down. A smirk makes its way onto his lips and he cocks his head to the side, it looked like Michael had a sore spot when it came to his rank. Interesting. _

_ Michael didn't take his silence for an appropriate answer. His gun was lowered and he stepped closer, his fists balling up. Before Louis could speak, Michael swung. _

_ A small hiss left Louis's lips when Michaels fist connected with his jaw, his head jerking to the side. Son of a bitch. He should have expected that from the psychotic man. Michael was always the one with the bad temper. _

_ "When I ask you something, " Michael said with a hiss of anger, advancing closer. "You answer me." _

_ Louis grunted in pain and rolled onto his knees, pushing himself up. He froze when the office door opened. Shit. “Just my luck.” He mumbled under his breath. _

_ Lilly stood in the doorway, looking at the two like they were gum on the bottom of her boot. Her cold eyes swept over them, her lip curling in disgust and her eyes holding disappointment and impatiences. _

_ “Knock it out and wait out here, Michael.” She said harshly to the other man, before turning her attention to Louis. Her eyes narrowed and she pushed the door, motioning for him to enter the office. _

_ “Go take a seat, Louis.” She ordered harshly. _

_ Louis nodded and quickly rushed into the office, taking a seat in front of her desk. He didn’t know what was going to happen. Louis was observant, but Lilly was skilled in masking her emotions. This encounter might end up going south and thought terrified him. _

_ The door clicked shut and Lilly’s heavy steps filled the room as she moved to her seat, sitting down in front of him. She leaned forward in her seat, her fingers clasping together as she leveled him with a glare. _

_ “You know why you are here, Louis,” Lilly says, disappointment crossing her features. _

_ Louis resisted the urge to roll his eyes, he knew why he was here. “Of course I know." He scoffed, his lips pulling back into a sneer. "Your man out there has a good way of reminiscing about my past mistakes." _

_ "Oh?" Lilly chuckled, seemingly unbothered by his comments. "Is that so?" _

_ Louis narrowed his eyes, his lips pressing into a thin line as he glared at her. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. Lilly was smart when it came to mind games and he wasn't about to become one of her little pawns in her game. _

_ Lilly leaned back in her seat, looking him up and down in disgust. This was the look she gave everyone when they made the simplest mistakes. He knew she liked perfection but didn't seem to understand that most of the new recruits were kids. _

_ "Why did you let them go, Louis?" Lilly questions, picking up her handgun from the desk a wicked smirk slowly tugged at her lips as she checked the guns chamber and ammo count. _

_ Louis swallowed heavily, but his gaze never faltered. He wasn't going to let Lilly see that he was afraid, it would only give her power over him and he didn't want that. _

_ “They had children with them.” He found himself saying, his tone full of annoyance. “A toddler. I wasn’t going to let them be subjected to this.” _

_ Lilly arched a brow and stood up, her pistol aimed at him as she rounded the desk. “A child? You failed your mission because they had a child? Pathetic.” _

_ Louis bit back a snarl as he stared at the woman. Lilly was sick in the head, she didn’t care what lengths she had to go to have order and her perfect army for this war. Curling his fists he stood up, his chair slamming back against the wall harshly. _

_ “I’m pathetic?” Louis bit back a harsh laugh, a twisted smile on his lips. “I think you are mistaken. If anyone is pathetic here, it's you.” _

_ Lilly was silent for a moment, her head cocked to the side and her pistol still pointed at him. Her face was void of emotion and her eyes were blank and calculating. Louis gulped and took a step back, he knew he just fucked up and he knew that he should have kept his mouth shut. It happened all too quick, Lilly knew how to get under his skin and he fell right for it. _

_ Lilly cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her. She smirked wickedly at him before swinging, the butt of her pistol hitting him in the jaw. A pained groan leaves his lips as his back collided with the wall from the force of the hit and his jaw ached and throbbed. _

_ “Michael, get in here,” Lilly called, making Louis look back towards the door. The door swung open and Michael walked into the room. “Louis here needs to be taught a proper lesson,” Lily told him with a sinister grin. _

_ Michael nodded and pulled out a sharp knife and quickly advanced towards Louis, pinning against the wall. Louis struggled against the older man’s grip. “Maybe you’ll pay attention to orders more when you don’t run your jabbering mouth.” Michael chuckled as he forced open Louis’s mouth. Louis hissed in pain as the blade dug into his lips, splitting them open. _

_ At this point, Louis knew what they were planning to do and he wasn’t going to let them. Pulling his arm free from Michael’s grip, he quickly grabbed the knife and yanked it out his hand and kicked him in the crotch. _

_ Michael let out a painful groan as he fell to his knees. Before he could have the chance to stand up, Louis took the knife and rammed it into Micheal’s neck with a shout of anger mixed with fear. _

_ Louis watched as Michael struggled to pull the knife out of his jugular. Deciding to end his misery, Louis yanked the knife out of his throat, causing his warm blood to spray all over his face and clothes. _

_ Once Micheal was on the ground, twitching as his life slowly ebbed away, only then had Louis realized what he had done. “Oh my god..” Louis whispered in horror, dropping the bloody knife on the ground. _

_ Then he heard clapping. Looking over, he saw Lily slow clapping as she smiled wickedly at him. “Good job, Louis.” _

_ Louis shook his head, wiping away the blood that was oozing from the cut over his lips. He was a monster, he killed Michael and fell right into Lilly’s trap. _

_ \--- _

Louis snapped out of his memory-filled gaze, slightly jumping when a hand rests on his shoulder. With a shaky sigh, he turned his head and looked over, his eyes meeting Aasim’s concerned brown ones. 

“Why were you staring off into space for the past ten minutes?” Aasim asked as he sat down on the bed next to him. 

Louis bit down on his lip and averted his gaze. "I've killed someone. " He whispered, keeping his eyes trained onto the floor. The room fell silent and Louis didn't know if it was a good or bad sign so he continued to talk. 

"It was out of pure defense. I didn't want my tongue to be cut out and I was so afraid and my instincts just kicked in when he neared me with the knife." Louis paused and spared a glance towards Aasim, letting out a breath. Instead of disgust, his face was a picture of horror. 

"Is that how you got your scar?" Aasim gently raised his hand, his fingers brushing over the scar over his lips. 

Louis winced slightly and put his hand over Aasim's, moving his hand away. "It is. While I was fighting him off the knife split the skin. After that, I managed to get the knife away and I stabbed him in the throat." Louis frowned and let go of Aasim’s hand, standing up to pace around. 

"I still feel guilty, even though I shouldn't. But now that I look at it over and over, it was just what Lilly wanted. She wanted me to be just like her." Louis scoffed and looked towards Aasim, a bitter smile on his lips

Aasim frowned and stood up, moving over to him and quickly taking his hands into his smaller ones. "Listen to me. You are nothing like her. You killed to survive. Understand?" Aasim whispered sternly, giving his hands a comforting squeeze.

"It isn't that easy, Sim." Louis sighed and shook his head, slightly smiling at their clasped hands. 

Aasim scowled at him and arched his brow. "Let me help you." His expression softens. "Don't shut me out." 

Louis' heart clenched and his lips parted, but before he could utter a word the door was swung open, making him jump away from Aasim.

Brody stood at the door, trying to control her choppy breathing. Her gaze landed on them and she quickly moved over to them, urgency shining in her blue eyes. 

"There is someone out in the woods near the school. A man." 

Louis' eyes widened and he swore his heart dropped. 


End file.
